Former Barbados Gov’t Minister caught in laundering scandal

FORMER MINISTER of Industry, International Business, Commerce and Small Business Development in Barbados Donville Inniss, has been indicted in the United States for allegedly laundering over US$36,000 in bribes.

The bribes are said to have been accepted when he was a public official, dating back to 2015 and 2016 from an unnamed Barbadian insurance company.

Innis who resided in Tampa, Florida and Barbados during the time of the charged conspiracy, was arrested last Friday but has subsequently been released on a US$50,000 bond.

The 52-year-old allegedly engaged in a scheme to accept US$36,536.73 in bribes from high-level executives of an insurance company headquartered in Barbados and laundered that money through the United States.

In exchange for the bribes, Inniss renewed two contracts with the insurance company. One contract was reportedly for US$16,536.73 and the other was US$20,000.

The United States Attorney Richard Donoghue said: “As charged in the indictment, Inniss abused his position of trust as a government official by taking bribes from a Barbadian company, then laundered the illicit funds through a bank and a dental company located in the Eastern District of New York.”

He continued: “The Department of Justice will continue to hold accountable corrupt government officials here or abroad who use the U.S. financial system to facilitate their criminal conduct.”

Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division Brian Benczkowski said Inniss allegedly used the US financial system to launder bribes he received while serving as a government official.

“These charges demonstrate the commitment of the Department and our law enforcement partners to hold accountable anyone who seeks to use our financial system to promote or launder the corrupt proceeds of their crimes,” Benczkowski said.

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